Merried Drafts

We love wedding dresses of all shapes and sizes, but when we see a gown with a long cathedral train we get giddy like a little girl on Christmas! We just get swept up by the drama and romance of a dress train that goes on for days. You’ll understand the feeling once you’ve seen our 30 favorite fluffy, sparkly, and lacy dress trains - all worn by our gorgeous Vow Exchange brides. Whether you’re a fan of a delicate sweep train or you fancy a striking elongated train, you’re sure to fall in love with more than one of our top 30 picks!

30 more! This time it’s our top 30 newlywed portraits - and they are seriously drool worthy!

It's the most iconic image in your wedding album and a picture of the very symbol for forever. However the details in the "wedding ring" shot can be a sweet reminder of your unique celebration. Check out these creative and charming ring shots!

This coming Saturday my husband and I will be celebrating 11 years married. I am always so inspired on our anniversary, so much so that our 10th year inspired The Vow Exchange! I like to think that every year on the 7th of December I am a bride again and Mel is my groom. I usually buy something white to wear out at our celebratory dinner and I always wear the scent of gardenia, the main flower in my bouquet. Something about the cool temperature, the way the day light dims early and that iconic scent of gardenia really brings me back to the magic of our wedding day. It is a day just for the two of us to remember and celebrate that promise we made many years ago, and that we would do it all over again every year if we could. We finally did make good on that thought last year when we renewed our vows for our 10th anniversary. This celebration was just as magical (in different ways) than our wedding day 10 years ago. I encourage anyone who has put the time, commitment and care into a marriage to consider renewing vows after even 1 year of marriage. On your actual wedding day, though a thoughtful and meaningful day, you are not entirely aware of the diligent work that goes into a marriage. And for that reason you are not entirely aware of the reward that comes with that work and dedication. When you renew your vows, you are not just saying that you promise to keep your commitment, because that promise means more now that you have a few years under your belt. You are promising to keep that commitment now with the full knowledge of what it takes to make that other person happy, giving a whole new meaning to "I do".

Today's link is for couples who have considered getting re-married. The expense of the actual wedding day may deter any thoughts of re-doing such an elaborate event. However, this nugget of charm and gorgeousness shows us a celebration that is intimate, elegant and not bank busting. Hosted here in our home town Kansas City, Jessica and Hunter re-exchange their vows in Alea Lovely's photo studio located in the historic Bauer Building in the Crossroads. This couple shows how beautiful doesn't have to be big, and a wedding doesn't always have to be white (we love her black tulle gown!). We hope this inspires all our already married couples to plan an anniversary celebration worthy of their hard work and commitment. Let this be the year you say "I did", "I do" and "I would" all over again!

Anyone who has been engaged can relate to the excitement and joy of having made the decision to marry their very best friend. For the first few weeks you are consumed with endless expressions of joy from friends and family. You've showed the ring and recalled the "how it happened story" too many times to count. But, once you've updated your Facebook status to "engaged" it's time to face the reality that you have a wedding in your future. SO many factors to consider! You start sketching out a guest list which quickly adds up into the hundreds. You start to perouse wedding photographers' websites to learn the smallest photo package starts at $3000. You learn that what sets your wedding date is the availability of a venue, which by the way isn't until next year sometime. All you want to do is wake up to your new husband or wife and start the next chapter of your lives. Fear not. Perhaps it is time to take into consideration...Eloping! In this "Top Ten Reasons" list, you will find you are not alone. Less money, less complicated, more intimacy are our thoughts exactly.

In an attempt to offer a wide range of perspectives on small weddings and elopements, I will be featuring a real wedding on Wednesdays. What is fascinating to me about real couples who decide to celebrate their wedding by eloping or going the intimate route, is how unique and personal these celebrations are. Each one is so uniquely different from the other. It’s like when you strip away all the tried and true traditions of a big wedding, all that is left is very personal, very honest, and very you.

Today’s real wedding is extra awesome in that Mountain Side Bride was able to get a personal interview with the bride herself. It is so refreshing to hear her honest feelings about their small and intimate wedding celebration. Complete with hindsight advice, this bride tells it like it is. So for all those couples who struggle with their visions of a smaller wedding, you may find the courage and resolve you are looking for with a little help from Chelsea and her groom Nate.

About a week ago I awoke to DJ chatter about a growing trend in weddings, eloping. Immediately my ears perked when I learned that America’s sweetheart Kelly Clarkson had just announced she and her fiancé Brandon Blackstock would be canceling their October wedding plans in lieu of a more personal celebration. The internet is abuzz with all things “elopement”, as couples too echo Kelly and Brandon’s feelings from (as the Huffington Post puts it) “Overwhelmed” to “Over It”. What is fascinating to me, is that these are folks who could afford the most lavish of affairs. Yet they, like several other celebrities, value a celebration that is held a little closer to the chest. The emotions shared in their smaller celebrations are something that money just can’t buy. From Gweneth to Mariah, Borat to Jack Black, check out other big names who too decided to keep their big day small.

I love this clip from Portlandia (heck I just love Portlandia). I see shades of the show’s cultural color right here in my home town KC. Which is why a Portlandia wedding fits right in - well maybe not quite to this extent. Although this couple starts off with plans of never-before-done-in-a-wedding, the end result remains the same. (Spoiler alert!) They get married! (see Portlandia Cool Wedding for the entire episode). It seems that weddings today don’t rate if your personal stamp isn’t on it. Pinterest is flooded with those same never-before-done-in-a-wedding ideas that everyone is doing, even The Vow Exchange to a certain extent. But just as Spyke and Iris learn, it doesn’t matter if your guests are seated in a scatter with Dad off in a corner, at the end of the day you are married to the one who matters most. What makes this day so memorable is how much love you feel for your new husband or wife. Believe me when I say that it is your love that is the best thing never-before-done-in-a-wedding.

Anyone who has been engaged can relate to the excitement and joy of having made the decision to marry their very best friend. For the first few weeks you are consumed with endless expressions of joy from friends and family. You've showed the ring and recalled the "how it happened story" too many times to count. But, once you've updated your Facebook status to "engaged" it's time to face the reality that you have a wedding in your future. SO many factors to consider! You start sketching out a guest list which quickly adds up into the hundreds. You start to perouse wedding photographers' websites to learn the smallest photo package starts at $3000. You learn that what sets your wedding date is the availability of a venue, which by the way isn't until next year sometime. All you want to do is wake up to your new husband or wife and start the next chapter of your lives. Fear not. Perhaps it is time to take into consideration...Eloping! In this "Top Ten Reasons" list, you will find you are not alone. Less money, less complicated, more intimacy are our thoughts exactly.